Partnership to turn industrial carbon emissions into biofuels

June 7, 2010

A public-private partnership has been formed to pursue technologies using concentrated solar energy to turn waste carbon dioxide into biofuels.

The alliance includes Sandia National Laboratories, Renewable Energy Institute International, Pacific Renewable Fuels, Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne, Quanta Services, Desert Research Institute and Clean Energy Systems.

With funding from the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the project will seek to establish demonstration plants to showcase the use of industrial carbon dioxide emissions to produce biofuels.

The solar reforming technology would involve equipment being located next to existing industrial facililities that have carbon dioxide waste streams available.

This could include coal power stations, natural gas facilities, ethanol plants or cement factories.

Valuable

Dr Dennis Schuetzle, president of non-profit corporation Renewable Energy Institute International, said last week: “The alliance team members believe that the best way to accomplish carbon dioxide reduction goals is to commercialize platforms that will utilize it as a carbon feedstock for the production of valuable products, such as diesel fuel.”

The organizations within the alliance have already been trialling a solar reforming system in Sacramento, California, while demonstrations are set to be carried out at Sandia’s facilities in New Mexico and at a power plant in Bakersfield, California.

Planning for the first round of commercial plants is now underway at several locations in the US.

Expectations are that the first commercial facilities could begin operations in 2013.

Ellen Stechel, recycling CO2 program development lead for Sandia National Laboratories, said: “Sandia began working on research, development and demonstration of solar reforming technologies more than 20 years ago. We are pleased for the opportunity to extend these concepts in a public/private partnership that we expect will accelerate commercialization to accomplish our joint goals of CO2 emissions reduction and domestic fuel production.”